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NPL Site Narrative for U.S. Nameplate Co.
U.S. NAMEPLATE CO.
Mount Vernon, Iowa
Federal Register Notice: October 15, 1984
Conditions at proposal (October 15, 1984): U.S. Nameplate Co. manufactures aluminum, brass, and stainless steel nameplates on a 7-acre site near Mount Vernon in Linn County, Iowa. Etching and plating are among the processes involved. Liquid wastes from these processes are acidic and have high concentrations of chromium, fluoride, lead, and zinc. Prior to 1979, U.S. Nameplate treated the wastes in septic tanks that discharged into a drainage field and a nearby creek. The NPL site involves the septic tank and drainage field.
In 1979, the State received complaints about the discharge to the drainage field. In response, U.S. Nameplate constructed a waste water treatment lagoon system and began operating it in November 1979. In 1982, based on high fluoride levels (137 milligrams/liter) detected in ground water, the State determined that the lagoon was leaking. On March 12, 1984, EPA issued an Administrative Order under Section 3008(a) of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The order requires U.S. Nameplate to close the lagoon under RCRA and monitor ground water.
Mount Vernon (population 3,300) draws its water from two municipal wells less than 1.5 miles from the U.S. Nameplate plant.
Status (June 24, 1988): EPA is proposing to drop U.S. Nameplate Co. from the proposed NPL. Because the site is a treatment and disposal facility, it is subject to the corrective action authorities of RCRA Subtitle C.
In December 1984, U.S. Nameplate filed a petition to remove the waste water treatment sludge from the list of RCRA Subtitle C wastes. On May 3, 1988, EPA proposed to make the sludge no longer subject to Subtitle C regulations and permitting standards; the sludge treatment unit, however, would be subject to all Subtitle C requirements, including closure requirements.
The company appealed the 1984 RCRA Section 3008(a) order on the basis that EPA's hazardous waste list as originally promulgated did not provide sufficient notice to U.S. Nameplate that its waste was considered a listed hazardous waste. An Administrative Law Judge dismissed the appeal without prejudice, which allows EPA to file another order under RCRA Section 3008(a).
EPA intends to pursue cleanup under RCRA authorities and to ensure that the cleanup protects public health and the environment. In appropriate circumstances, Superfund monies may be used for a remedial investigation/feasibility study to ensure that the site is cleaned up quickly and effectively; Superfund enforcement authorities may also be used. EPA can later repropose the site for the NPL if it determines that the owner or operator is unable or unwilling to clean up the site effectively.
Status (October 4, 1989): EPA has dropped this site from the proposed NPL.
On September 28, 1988, EPA published a final rule making the sludge no longer subject to Subtitle C; the sludge treatment unit, however, remains subject to Subtitle C.
For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.